Railroad-gate



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Gys. PQGG su G. A. HALL. RailroadGaLte.A y o N0. 240,684.. Patented April 26, |881.

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Railroad Gate.

No. 240,684.- Pate'nted-Aprn 26, Issy wxTNEssEs mvENToRs @we 2/ATTORNEY N. PETERS. FNOTO LTHOGRAPMER WASHINGTON: Cf

' l UNI-Ten @STATES PATENT OFFICE.

`GEORGE, S. FOGG, OF WESTBROOK, AND GEORGE A. HALL, OF WATERFORD, p MAINE.

RAI LROAD-GATE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 240,684, dated April 26, 1881.

Application filed June 12. 1880. (No model.)

.To all 'whom it may concern:

Be it known that We, GEORGE S. FOGG, of Westbrook, in the county of Cumberland, and GEORGE A. HALL, of VVa-terford, in the county of Oxford, and State of Maine, have invented a new and valuable Improvement in Railroad- Gates; and we do hereby declare that the following is a full, clear, and exact description of the construction and operation of the same,

1o reference being had to the annexed drawings, making a part of this specification, and to the letters and figures of reference marked thereon.

Figure l of the drawings is a representation of a perspective view of our improved railroadgate. Fig. 2 is a side view of the gate, and

Fig. 3 is an end view of the same.

This invention has relation to improvements in railroad-gates designed to be opened and closed by the passing trains.

zo The nature of the invention will be hereinafter fully set forth.

In the annexed drawings, the letter A designates the gate, pivoted to vibrate vertically in the upper ends of two parallel posts a, set

in the ground on a stand at one side of the roadway. 'The gate when in a horizontal position reaches entirely across the road or crossing, and acts as a barrier to persons, vehicles, or stock passing across the track at the time 3o a train is approaching. The barrier is so constructed that its longer end, or that portion thereof which reaches from the fulcrum-posts across the road, is heavier than its shorter arm, or that portion on the other side of the ful- 3 5 crum-posts aforesaid; consequently, when the latter or short arm is relieved of the pressure of a weight, B, the longer arm gravitates automatically downward and closes the road.

The weight B is attached to a short horizon- 4o tal shaft, b, having its bearings in post c, and it bears at its free end on a stud or rounded boss, c, of the barrier or gate, so as to overbalance its longer end, and cause the saine to swing upward to the vertical position.

4 5 C indicates a vertically-vibrating lever, having its fulcrum in post a, and provided with a cross-head, d, in which is made a curved slot, d', having inwardly-projecting teeth c e', respectively, on its upper and lower edges, and

out of line with each other, after the manner 5o of a mutilated gear.

D indicates a pinion on the end of shaft b', engaged in the slot d ,and working in connection with the teeth c c of the cross-head d, so that the said pinion will be rotated in the same direction, whatever be the direction in which the lever O is thrown, from a vertical to an inclined position, the effect being in eithercase to relieve the barrier ofthe weight and allow it to fall. 6o

D indicates wires extending from the power end of lever C along the track in both directions fronx the crossing a sufficient distance, which wires are supported by poles, and are connected at their other extremities to the horizontally-arranged half-wheels G, secured to a vertical shaft, H, having its bearings in a table, support, or frame, I. This shaft H carries on its end a pinion, g, the object of which will be hereinafter shown. The pinion 7o g engages a curved slot, s, in the enlargedend of the horizontally-vibrating levers J J having their fulcrum on the tables.

In the slot s are formed, upon its opposite edges, the series of teeth i i', out of line with 7 5 each other, the teeth t' being farthest from the barrier, or on the outer sides of the slot, and the teeth fi on the inner sides, or nearest the barrier, as shown, the one series becoming engaged with the pinion only when the other 8o series becomes disengaged therefrom. The pinion canconsequently be rotated but in one direction, whether the lever be thrown to the right or left from its normal position.

The power ends of the levers J J" are provided with downwardly-projecting arms ll, e which are struck by the passing train, causing the said levers to rotate the pinion and actuate the half-wheels, which, through the medium of the wires, relieves the barrier of the weight 9o B and allows it to fall across the crossing before the advent of the train. The train, having actuated the lever J or J according to the direction in which the train is-passing, to lower the barrier, passes to the opposite lever and actuates the latter in an outward direction, or

in the direction, rather, in which the train is going. This lever, whichever it may be, be

ing the reverse of the lever first struck, actuates the barrier to open it, through the wire D and connection, by forcing the weight B against the boss C of the barrier, causing the weight of the long arm to be overcome and the barrier thus elevated. It should be borne in mind that the levers J J are at a long distance from the barrier, and that the wires Dl are supported on poles, so that the gate will be closed some time before the train reaches the crosslng.

It will be clear that the barrier will be thrown across the crossing, whether the train be passing up or down the track, and be raised after passing the crossin 0.

The pinions are usually xed to their' respective shafts; but, if desired, they may be loose thereon and fixed by a spring-actuated pavvl, engaging a ratchet-wheel fixed to the said shaft, and pivoted to said pinion.

L indicates a weight, suspended by a cord or wire, m, from the levers JJ. This cord extends through a guide, 0, on the table or support, and the weight acts by gravitation to rcturn said levers automatically to their normal positions.

The operation of the device is as follows: When the levers C and J J are in their normal positions the pinions D and gg are free to revolve in either direction. lVhen the train strikes lever J the lever will be carried, at its power end, toward the barrier, the teeth i Will engage the pinion g, and will rotate it and the half-Wheel G in a direction away from the barrier and pull the lever G away from the barrier, which will release the weight B and permit the barrier to fall across the road. The

weight L, as soon as the leverJ is unobstructed,

Will draw the said lever J back to place and slacken the Wire D', that has pulled upon the lever G. The inertia of the lever C holds the weight B in abeyance until the train reaches the lever J', which it carries forward, and as the teeth i i are reversed in position in this lever the teetht will engage the pinion and cause the half-wheel G at this end to revolve away from the barrier, pull upon the Wire D', and draw the lever C back to a vertical position, which will open the gate. A train passing in the opposite direction will operate the mechanism in a manner exactly the reverse of that above described.

What we claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

1. In a railroad-gate, the combination, with the vertically-vibrating barrier A, having the rounded stud c at one end, of the shaft b, hav,- ing pinion l) and weight B bearing on said stud, and the lever C, having curved slot d in its weight end, and the teeth e c in said slot out of line with each other and/upon opposite sides, substantially as specified.

2. The combination, with the uprights a, the ver-ti cally-swin gin g barrier A,journaled therein and having stud c, and the horizontal shaft b,journaled in the upright, ofa weight, B, fixed on said shaft and bearing on the stud c, a lever, C, fulerumed on said upright, and a mutilated-gear connection between said shaft and lever, substantially as set forth.

3. The combination of the swinging barrier A, a horizontal shaft, b, carrying a weight, B, bearing 0n the heel of said barrieigand a lever having a mutilated-gear connection with said shaft, of a lever mechanism at each side of the crossing and actuated by the passing trains, and wires leading from said mechanisms to the lever C, substantially as speciiied.

In testimony that we claim the above we have hereunto subscribed our names in the presence of two witnesses.

GEORGE S. FOGG. GEORGE A. HALL. Witnesses:

A. A. CORDWELL, JAMES M. WEBB, ALFRED S. KIMBALL, J. R. HALL. 

